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Tanzania embraces India’s outreach of Africa’s east coast

India, an all-weather friend of Africa, has been making efforts to enhance the security of the east coast of southern Africa and the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), reports Ateet Sharma

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s visit to Tanzania at a time when Indian Naval Ship Trishul is making a port call at Zanzibar reflects not only India’s cordial ties with its maritime neighbours but also its vision of becoming a voice of the Global South.

Jaishankar arrived in Zanzibar – an archipelago off the coast of Tanzania known for its spice heritage – on Wednesday, a few hours after INS Trishul, the Talwar-Class guided missile frigate of Indian Navy, entered the Zanzibar port.

Last week, the Indian warship was in Seychelles as its 21-men marching contingent and 14-member Navy Band participated in the island nation’s 47th National Day Celebrations, making a strong statement of India’s commitment to bolstering bilateral ties and reinforcing maritime security cooperation with regional navies in neighbourhood.

“Attended a deck reception hosted onboard INS Trishul with President of Zanzibar, Hussein Ali Mwinyi. Welcomed the presence of the Speaker, Ministers, MPs, senior officers from Tanzanian Defence Forces and Indian diaspora. INS Trishul’s presence in Zanzibar today is a statement of our SAGAR (Safety and Growth for All in the Region) commitment,” tweeted Jaishankar, earlier today.

Along with Mwinyi, the EAM also witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for setting up of the first IIT campus outside India.

“This campus is reflective of the longstanding friendship between India and Tanzania and a reminder of the focus India places on building people to people ties across Africa and the Global South,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement after the MoU was signed between India’s Ministry of Education, IIT Madras and Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MoEVT) of Zanzibar, Tanzania.

As reported by IndiaNarrative.com last week, both countries have already agreed to leverage ocean resources and also drawn a five-year roadmap for defence cooperation, ranging from customised training and capacity building to maritime cooperation, infrastructure building and collaboration in defence equipment and technology.

Ambassador Samwel Shelukindo, the Permanent Secretary at the Tanzanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has urged India to support his country’s efforts in promoting blue economy which is one of the priority sectors of the government led by Samia Solution Hassan, Tanzania’s first woman president.

India, an all-weather friend of Africa, has been making efforts to enhance the security of the east coast of southern Africa and the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) while at the same time giving resonance to the voice of the Global South during its ongoing G20 presidency.

Tanzania – one of India’s reliable partners on the east coast of Africa at the western edge of the Indian Ocean – is a natural and effective transportation gateway into eastern, southern and central Africa with its three deepwater ports in Dar es Salaam, Tanga and Mtwara that service six landlocked neighbouring countries of Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia and Malawi.

“I recommend that the Government of India establish cooperation with Tanzania in developing the blue economy sector, particularly, fishing on the high seas, development of fish processing industries, search and rescue, boat manufacturing and boat-making equipment,” Shelukindo said during a bilateral meeting held on June 26.

The Tanzanian government has thanked India for providing aid in various sectors, including soft loans of one billion USD for the development of water projects which will eventually benefit more than six million people of the country.

Even as they wait to sign a major agreement on agriculture, Tanzania will be selling 200,000 tonnes of peas to India per year with both countries also working on new areas of cooperation in the sectors of IT, water, sports and culture, trade and investment.

During the second leg of his four-day visit, Jaishankar will travel to Dar-es-Salaam where he will co-chair the 10th India-Tanzania Joint Commission Meeting with his counterpart and call on the country’s top leadership, including several top ministers.

(India Narrative)

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Botswana all set for U.S.-Africa Business Summit

The Summit, to be held July 11-14, 2023, is the continent’s largest annual gathering of U.S. and African leaders…reports Asian Lite News

More than 1,000 participants, including six African heads of state and government and a delegation of senior U.S. government officials, are expected in Gaborone, Botswana for the U.S.-Africa Business Summit, organized by the Corporate Council on Africa, in partnership with the Presidency of the Republic of Botswana.

The Summit, to be held July 11-14, 2023 at the Royal Aria Convention Centre, is the continent’s largest annual gathering of U.S. and African leaders and senior government officials, private sector executives, international investors, and multilateral stakeholders.

Under the theme “Enhancing Africa’s Value in Global Value Chains,” the Summit promises an exceptional lineup of 100-plus speakers, among them business and government leaders providing insights on emerging opportunities for U.S.-Africa trade, investment and commercial engagement, and priority action areas for collaboration in key growth sectors of agribusiness, finance, energy, health, infrastructure, ICT and creative industries.

The four days offer a premier platform for interacting with high-level government officials and business leaders from countries across the African continent with some of the most promising markets for investments and learning about business opportunities, continental and national policies, and success stories.

The U.S.-Africa Business Summit builds upon the positive momentum created by the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit and Business Forum held in Washington D.C. in December 2022 during which President Joseph R. Biden announced more than $15 billion in two-way trade and investment commitments, deals, and partnerships.

Indeed, the conference in Botswana will provide a progress report and latest developments arising from the Leaders Summit, as well as announcement of new deals and financing by institutional investors, U.S. and African financial institutions and others. Highlights include presidential dialogues, invitation-only roundtables, and closed-door pitch sessions for institutional investors.

“The packed program for this year’s U.S.-Africa Business Summit reflects everything we are trying to achieve at Corporate Council on Africa: to be a nexus for business and investment between the United States and the nations of Africa,” said Florizelle Liser, CEO of the Corporate Council on Africa. “We have a host country in Botswana that provides a model for African success, multiple African heads of state and government who value the importance of enhancing economic collaboration with the U.S., a U.S. government using an array of programs and tools to fully engage with the continent, and a contingent of American investors ready to deploy capital across multiple sectors.”

Confirmed African Heads of Government include:

  •     H.E. Mokgweetsi E.K. Masisi, President of the Republic of Botswana
  •     H.E. Filipe Nyusi, President of Mozambique
  •     H.E. Hage Geingob, President of Namibia
  •     H.E. Haikande Hichilema, President of Zambia
  •     Hon. Samuel Matekane, the Right Honorable Prime Minister of Lesotho
  •     H.E. Cleopas Sipho Dlamini, the Right Honorable Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Eswatini

Confirmed United States Delegation include:

  •     Scott Nathan, Chief Executive Officer, U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC)
  •     Enoh Ebong, Director, U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA)
  •     Judd Devermont, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for African Affairs, White House National Security Council
  •     Travis Adkins, President and CEO, U.S. African Development Foundation
  •     Johnnie Carson, Special Presidential Representative for U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit Implementation
  •     Peter Hendrick Vrooman, U.S. Ambassador to Mozambique

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India gets set to strengthen Tanzania  

India, an all-weather friend of Africa, has been giving resonance to the voice of the Global South during its ongoing G20 Presidency…reports Asian Lite News

From leveraging ocean resources to drawing a five-year roadmap for defence cooperation, India this week bolstered its partnership with Tanzania – one of its reliable partners on the east coast of Africa at the western edge of the Indian Ocean.

On Monday, Ambassador Samwel Shelukindo, Permanent Secretary at the Tanzanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, urged India to support his country’s efforts in promoting blue economy which he said is one of the priority sectors of the government led by Samia Solution Hassan, Tanzania’s first woman president.

Later in the week, both countries also agreed on a five-year roadmap for defence cooperation that covers initiatives ranging from customised training and capacity building to maritime cooperation, infrastructure building and collaboration in defence equipment and technology.

India, an all-weather friend of Africa, has been giving resonance to the voice of the Global South during its ongoing G20 Presidency and has always maintained that developing longstanding people-to-people links with the African countries will be its top priority.

Tanzania is a natural and effective transportation gateway into Eastern, Southern and Central Africa with its three deepwater ports in Dar es Salaam, Tanga and Mtwara that service six landlocked neighbouring countries of Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia and Malawi.

It is bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north; Rwanda, Burundi and Congo to the west; and, Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique in the south. To the east, it borders the Indian Ocean.

“I recommend that the Government of India establish cooperation with Tanzania in developing the blue economy sector, particularly, fishing on the high seas, development of fish processing industries, search and rescue, boat manufacturing and boat-making equipment,” Shelukindo said during the 10th meeting of the Joint Commission for Cooperation in economic, technical and scientific matters between Tanzania and India held on June 26.

Revealing that the trade between the two countries for the year 2021-2022 was worth 6 billion USD, the diplomat mentioned India as a “big and important” partner of Tanzania in various sectors such as business, investment, infrastructure development, defence, education and technical education.

Thanking India for the various aid it provides to Tanzania in various areas, including the water sector, he said the Hassan government appreciates New Delhi’s contribution of providing soft loans of one billion US Dollars for the development of water projects which will eventually benefit more than six million people of the country.

Even as they wait to sign a major agreement on agriculture, Tanzania will be selling 200,000 tonnes of peas to India per year with both countries also working on new areas of cooperation in the sectors of IT, water, sports and culture, trade and investment.

The second edition of the Joint Defence Cooperation Committee (JDCC) meeting between the two countries held in Arusha on June 28 and 29, focused on a wide range of opportunities for collaboration with a view to enhancing security in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

Major General Fadhil Omary Nondo, Land Force Commander of Tanzania Peoples Defence Forces (TPDF) led the Tanzanian side while the Indian delegation headed by Joint Secretary Amitabh Prasad included not only senior officials from the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces but also representatives from defence Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs).

As they agreed on a five-year roadmap for defence cooperation, the Indian delegation highlighted the growing prowess of its defence manufacturing to export to friendly countries.

The accompanying PSUs, meanwhile, held extensive meetings with the stakeholders from the Tanzanian Forces on the sidelines of the JDCC meeting.

In August 2022, Tanzania’s Defence Minister Stergomena Lawrence Tax, who later became the country’s Foreign Minister, visited India and held talks with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. She also visited various Indian defence PSUs, including Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), to get a first-hand view of indigenous weapons and equipment.

Delegations from TPDF have also been participating regularly in Defexpo and Aero India shows.

In February this year, on the sidelines of the Aero India show in Bengaluru, Singh held a meeting with Tanzania’s new Defence Minister Innocent Lugha Basungwa.

The visiting minister also went to Mumbai and toured the facility of Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited which is one of the leading shipbuilding yards in India.

After returning home, Basungwa held talks with Binaya Srikanta Pradhan, the Indian Ambassador in the country, to find ways to strengthen the existing Tanzanian military industries, as well as establish new ones, with New Delhi’s help.

“The Government of India has shown its sincere interest and readiness in assisting Tanzania to take steps in various fields of development, especially in the Defence sector,” Basungwa said after meeting the Indian Ambassador in Dar es Salaam in March.

Interestingly, Deputy National Security Advisor Vikram Misri visited Tanzania last year and held discussions on wide-ranging political and security issues with the country’s top political and military leadership.

The first-ever India-Mozambique-Tanzania Trilateral (IMT TRILAT) maritime exercise followed soon, beginning a new chapter in India’s efforts to enhance the security of the east coast of southern Africa and the Indian Ocean Region as a whole under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of SAGAR – Safety and Growth for All in the Region.

ALSO READ-Tanzania, South Africa launch joint cultural festival

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Modi thanks Biden for backing proposal to add Africa in G20

The proposal was made in line with a request from the Union, which is made up of 55 countries of the African continent, aimed at enhancing Africa’s voice on the international stage…reports Asian Lite News

Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked US President Joe Biden for accepting the proposal to add ‘Africa’ as a permanent member of the G20.

“Under our G20 presidency, we are giving strength to ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’ and giving voice to the Global South. I thank President Biden for granting support to my proposal of making Africa a permanent G20 member. I firmly believe that the world’s two largest democracies – India and the US will be able to fulfil the aspirations of expectations and aspirations of the whole world,” said PM Modi. Earlier, PM Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi has written to his counterparts among the Group of 20 (G20) members, calling for the African Union to be given full membership of the grouping.

The proposal was made in line with a request from the Union, which is made up of 55 countries of the African continent, aimed at enhancing Africa’s voice on the international stage and shaping the future of our shared world.

Prime Minister Modi firmly advocates and supports the African cause and has led from the front in this matter.

Prime Minister Modi is also a strong believer in holding a greater voice of the Global South countries on international platforms, particularly of African countries.

As part of India’s G20 Presidency, he has particularly focused on incorporating priorities of the African countries in the G20 agenda.

The G20, which was founded in 1999 after the Asian financial crisis, comprises the 20 largest economies. The grouping’s members are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union.

India is set to host the G20 Summit in New Delhi in September. (ANI)

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‘Climate finance reform to unlock Africa’s green potential’

With abundant clean energy resources, including wind, solar, hydro and geothermal sources, and precious metals, Africa “has the potential to emerge as a hub for renewable energies…reports Asian Lite News

Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and COP28 President-Delegate, met William Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya, along with energy ministers and leaders from other African nations, at the Africa Energy Forum in Nairobi, where he emphasised the importance of making climate finance more available, accessible, and affordable to enable countries in the continent to achieve their clean energy potential.

In a joint statement with the COP28 President-Designate, President Ruto commended the UAE, its leadership and the COP28 Presidency on their long-standing support for sustainable development and climate action. Kenya and COP28 will jointly champion actions to triple installed renewable energy capacity by 2030, and will cooperate on policy and scaling finance.

A joint working group has also been launched through the Africa Climate Summit and COP28 to focus on a just energy transition and unlocking climate finance to accelerate green growth in Africa.

With abundant clean energy resources, including wind, solar, hydro and geothermal sources, and precious metals, Africa “has the potential to emerge as a hub for renewable energies, and a significant driver of clean growth for the world,” Dr. Al Jaber said. “But one major obstacle stands in its way. And that is a lack of available, accessible and affordable finance.”

Clean energy investment in Africa represents only 2 percent of what is invested globally and less than 10 percent of the 120 billion dollars a year that is the “baseline requirement,” Dr. Al Jaber said. “We need to be candid about the issues and determined to fix them,” he stated.

The COP28 President-Designate repeated calls for developed nations to meet their historic commitment of delivering US$100 billion a year in climate finance for developing nations, and reiterated the need for reform of international financial institutions (IFIs) and multilateral development banks (MDBs).

“We know that the current international financial architecture is not fit for purpose. IFIs and MDBs are not distributing concessional finance anywhere near quickly enough,” he said. “Reform is urgently needed,” and if this is not possible in time, “we must explore new mechanisms for lowering risk and massively expanding the flow of private investment to build a pipeline of bankable, sustainable clean energy projects.”

Harmonising standards for voluntary carbon markets could also help Africa to attract capital, while countries should also look at supportive policies and regulations to “help develop a favorable investment climate for the private sector,” the COP28 President-Designate said.

Dr. Al Jaber hailed Kenya’s success in providing 80 percent of its electricity from renewable energy sources. “That didn’t happen by accident,” he said. “It happened because visionary government policies combined with smart investments met practical-minded people of action.” Kenya will be a regional champion in the drive to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030, he said.

“Africa’s potential as a clean energy giant is massive,” Dr. Al Jaber said. “Developing that potential will require political will, visionary ambition and lots of capital. Some of this is already happening through evidence-based energy transition plans. The AFDB is spearheading innovative, blended public and private finance solutions to expand clean growth through Africa 50. And the UAE has deployed over US$12 billion in development and renewable projects across Africa through public-private partnerships.”

During his meeting with President Ruto, Dr. Al Jaber discussed adaptation & mitigation efforts, including the transition to green energy and COP28’s action plan that aims to build bridges nurturing collaboration between the global north & south. The President-Designate also met with Davis Chirchir, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum, to discuss the need for accelerated partnerships on renewable energy, in the lead up to the Africa Climate Summit, taking place in Nairobi in September, and COP28.

Dr. Al Jaber also attended a ministerial roundtable on the energy transition, attended by ministers from more than 15 nations, and took part in a townhall discussion with representative of youth, indigenous peoples’, and civil society.

In one of his visit’s highlights, Dr. Al Jaber met young social entrepreneurs from M-KOPA, a company developing innovative financial products that are helping home-grown, clean tech businesses get off the ground.

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‘India aims to voice concerns of Global South, African nations’

India has been emphasising on including the issues pertaining to the Global South under the G20 platform…reports Asian Lite News

Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra on Monday said that India through its G20 presidency strives to echo the voice of the Global South which also features concerns of African nations.

“India’s priority under it’s G20 presidency is towards putting on the table, the voice of the Global South which also features that of African nations,” the Foreign Secretary, who was briefing the media on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s forthcoming visit to the US and Egypt, said while responding to a question on including the African Union in the G20 ambit.

India has been emphasising on including the issues pertaining to the Global South under the G20 platform.

Modi had inaugurated the ‘Voice of the Global South Summit’ in January this year.

‘Important that India takes lead in making tourism sustainable’

Director General for the Ministry of Tourism from Spain, Felix De Paz, said that it is important for the world that India takes the lead in terms of making tourism more sustainable.

Felix De Paz said, “I’ve been participating since the very beginning. The first choice group round was a few months ago and everyone it’s been better and becoming better and better until we reached Goa, which is a very particular place to visit. The G20 Indian presidency overview about what the tourist group should be approaching and from a personal point of view, what I have seen in India in this format is really great. It’s a really wonderful experience.” Speaking about the 4th Tourism Working Group (TWG) meeting’s side events on cruise tourism and global tourism plastics initiative, he said that the way ahead for cruise tourism in terms of the potential for India, within cruise tourism is massive.

“Asia as a region is overcoming other regions in terms of the number of cruise tourists, and particularly India, I believe, that has a clear view, a clear strategy for the near future, about what they expect. So, I mean, good feelings about that. And in terms of the second side event is Global Tourism Plastics Initiative, it is really important for the world that India takes the lead somehow, in terms of making tourism more sustainable. Because it’s a common effort and country as I speak and of certain importance of India, moving forward in the right direction is also good news. So both side events, I think were really very good ideas and rightly carried out by the organization,” he added.

When asked about the bilateral relationship between India and Spain, he said, “We have quite a good bilateral relations within tourism. I remember that back in Kashmir, a few weeks ago we had a side event about the movie shooting sector and we are becoming good partners.”

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India-Africa trade grew 9.26%

Goyal expressed confidence in achieving the goal of doubling bilateral trade to $200 billion by 2030….reports Asian Lite News

Bilateral trade of India with Africa grew by 9.26 per cent in 2022-23, reaching almost $100 billion, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said while addressing the CII-EXIM Bank conclave on “India-Africa Partnership”.

Goyal expressed confidence in achieving the goal of doubling bilateral trade to $200 billion by 2030.

“Blessed with demographic dividend, India-Africa partnership can drive the global progress in this century,” the minister said further.

Goyal said that the exports and imports were approximately balanced with exports being $51.2 billion and imports being $46.65 billion in 2022-23.

The minister said that 27 least developed countries of Africa benefit from the duty-free tariff preference on non-reciprocal basis already and free trade agreements (FTAs), and comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA) can be explored with other African countries as well.

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Vice President hosts African leaders

Vice President Dhankhar hosts leaders of Zimbabwe, Gambia, Congo; discusses India-Africa ties…reports Asian Lite News

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar hosted the leaders of Zimbabwe, The Gambia and Congo in New Delhi on Thursday as India aims to strengthen the economic partnership with Africa and foster collaboration between businesses from both regions.

Dhankhar held discussions with Deputy PM of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Vital Kamarehe, Vice President of the Republic of The Gambia BS Jallow and Vice President of Zimbabwe Constantino Chiwengaa about India’s ties and partnerships with their respective countries. The leaders are in India to attend the 18th CII-EXIM Bank India Conclave on India-Africa Growth Partnership that is being held in the national capital from June 14 -16.

“Hon’ble Vice President, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar hosted the leaders of Zimbabwe, The Gambia and Democratic Republic of the Congo in New Delhi today,” the Vice President of India tweeted.

He met with Deputy PM of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Vital Kamarehe, Vice President of the Republic of The Gambia BS Jallow and Vice President of Zimbabwe Chiwenga.

Dhankhar discussed cementing the India-DRC partnership in various fields and improving ties and economic partnerships.

“H.E. Mr. Vital Kamerhe, Deputy PM of the Democratic Republic of the Congo called on the Hon’ble Vice-President of India, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar in New Delhi today. Both leaders highlighted the strengthening of India-DRC partnership across diverse domains and bolstering people-to-people ties between the two nations,” the Vice President tweeted.

In the meeting with his Gambia counterpart, Dhankhar discussed the strengthening of ties between the two countries.

“H.E. Mr. Muhammad B.S. Jallow, Vice President of Republic of The Gambia met Hon’ble Vice-President of India, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar in New Delhi today. Both leaders discussed the further deepening of ties between the two nations, with special emphasis on trade and economic partnership,” Dhankhar tweeted.

Dhankhar also met his Zimbabwe counterpart Chiwenga and discussed giving more momentum to the India-Zimbabwe partnership.

“Vice President of Zimbabwe, H.E. Gen. (Retd) Dr. Chiwenga met Hon’ble Vice-President of India, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar in New Delhi today. Discussions focused on giving greater impetus to India-Zimbabwe multi-faceted partnership, and further strengthening ties between the nations,” he tweeted following their meeting.

Speaking at the inaugural session “India-Africa: Synergies for ONE Growth” of CII-EXIM Bank India Conclave, Jaishankar said, “India’s development partnership with Africa will have a strong focus on digital, green, healthcare, food security and water, in tune with the pressing priorities of Africa.”

In the last sixteen editions, the Conclave has played a pivotal role in encouraging Indian companies to establish and grow their footprints in Africa.

Africa occupies an important place in India’s Foreign Policy and during the last nine years, this has been consciously stepped up under the direction of PM Modi, said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday in Delhi.

“Our ties are not transactional but represent the solidarity of a shared struggle. Africa, therefore, occupies an important place in India’s foreign policy. During the last 9 years, this has been consciously stepped up under the direction of PM Modi,” EAM said while addressing the 18th CII-EXIM Bank Conclave on the India-Africa growth partnership.

The EAM said that the “ties between India and Africa are not transactional but represent the solidarity of a shared struggle”.

Jaishankar mentioned that India’s engagement with Africa has been strengthened under the guidance of Prime Minister Modi.

“Our engagement with the continent has since witnessed 36 high-level visits from India and more than 100 high-level visits from Africa,” Jaishankar added, while addressing the conclave in the National Capital.

The minister highlighted the support India provided to African countries during their fight for independence and against colonialism and apartheid. (ANI)

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‘Made in India’ vaccines delivered to 42 African nations

Kolkata: Health workers give the 1st dose of vaccine to the Government workers during increasing numbers of COVID 19 cases in Kolkata 24 May, 2021. (Photo: Kuntal Chakrabarty/ IANS

On the trade and economic front, India and Africa’s bilateral trade reached USD 98 billion in 2022-23…reports Asian Lite News

Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “One Earth One Health” and belief “Vasudaiva Kutumbakam,” India supplied ‘Made in India’ Covid vaccines to 42 countries of the Africa continent, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Wednesday.

Addressing the inaugural address at the 18th CII-EXIM Bank Conclave, Jaishankar said, “During the pandemic, India continued unabated its engagement with Africa. The 15th and 16th editions of the CII-Exim Bank Africa Conclave were actually held, though they were held virtually. To support our friends in Africa, India provided medical support to 32 countries.” “From January 2021 till March 2023 we supplied ‘Made in India’ Covid vaccines to 42 countries of the continent. This was in line with our Prime Minister’s vision of “One Earth One Health” and our civilizational belief in “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”. We are now encouraging Indian pharma manufacturers and vaccine manufacturers to explore joint manufacturing facilities in African countries. Equally important, we have battled in the WTO along with our African partners for enhancing the accessibility and affordability of vaccines,” he added, according to the statement released by MEA.

He also talked about virtual education and medical services. Jaishankar informed that India launched e-VidyaBharti and e-ArogyaBharti network in 2019 for tele-education and tele-medicine.

Under this initiative, over 14,000 youth from 22 African countries have enrolled for various degrees and diploma courses. India has partnered with African countries in promoting digital transformation through the setting up of IT Centres, S&T Parks Entrepreneur Development Centres (EDC), etc. Where the digital domain is concerned, India’s emphasis on trust and transparency makes it a natural partner for Africa.

On the trade and economic front, India and Africa’s bilateral trade reached USD 98 billion in 2022-23.

Panaji: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar speaks during the press briefing on Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, in Panaji, Goa, on Friday, May 5, 2023.(Photo:IANS/Twitter)

“On the trade and economic front, India’s bilateral trade with Africa has reached US$ 98 billion in 2022-23 compared to USD 89.6 billion of the previous year. I am confident that our bilateral trade will soon cross the USD 100 billion mark,” Jaishankar said.

“Through the Duty-Free Tariff Preference (DFTP) Scheme that extends duty-free access to 98.2 per cent of India’s total tariff lines, India opened its market to African countries, and so far 33 LDC African nations are entitled to get the benefit,” he added.

The minister hoped that African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA) which commenced in 2021 will be helpful for Indian companies to enhance their business footprint in Africa.

With cumulative investments at USD 73.9 billion from 1996-2021, India is among the top five large investors in Africa, Jaishankar said adding that he is sure this will grow in the times to come. (ANI)

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India-Africa partnership prioritises digital, green, healthcare

Jaishankar said the implementation of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) will pave the way for increased investments by Indian companies in Africa…reports Asian Lite News

External Affairs Minister S Jaishanakar on Wednesday said India’s development partnership with Africa will have a strong focus on digital, green, healthcare, food security, and water.

Speaking at the inaugural session “India-Africa: Synergies for ONE Growth” of CII-EXIM Bank India Conclave, Jaishankar said, “India’s development partnership with Africa will have a strong focus on digital, green, healthcare, food security and water, in tune with the pressing priorities of Africa.” The 18th CII-EXIM Bank India Conclave on India-Africa Growth Partnership is jointly organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and EXIM Bank of India, in New Delhi.

Recent Indian experiences in Africa, including India’s digital delivery of public goods, deployment of green technologies, Covid response and healthcare efforts, among others have been impactful and will foster inclusive development in Africa, he added.

Referring to the significant growth in India-Africa bilateral trade flows, Jaishankar said the implementation of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) will pave the way for increased investments by Indian companies in Africa. “India is already among the top five large investors in Africa and I am confident that this will grow in the coming times,” he added.

Jaishankar stated that India is committed to sharing experiences and know-how for facilitating Africa’s energy transition and encouraged the African countries to join the Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE) movement launched by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Further, he also urged Africa to promote the cultivation and consumption of millets in line with the UN Year of Millets, which Prime Minister Modi again proposed.

Jaishankar also stated that Africa occupies an important place in India’s Foreign Policy and during the last nine years, this has been consciously stepped up under the direction of PM Modi.

“Our ties are not transactional but represent the solidarity of a shared struggle. Africa, therefore, occupies an important place in India’s foreign policy. During the last 9 years, this has been consciously stepped up under the direction of PM Modi,” EAM said.

Meanwhile, General (Retd) C.G.D.N Chiwenga, Vice President, Republic of Zimbabwe, noted that it was a boon to have deep bilateral relations amidst the current geopolitical tensions and the pandemic. He also noted that the implementation of the AfCFTA would trigger investments, and develop the tourism sector, agriculture, manufacturing, etc.

Vital Kamerhe Lwa Kanyiginyi, Deputy Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo, who was also there at the event, stated that the Democratic Republic of Congo has been preserving its forest cover, rich with mineral resources and has the potential to generate hydropower which can be utilised for accelerated development. He welcomed Indian businesses to participate in the construction of rail lines and highways connecting the remotest areas of the African continent.

R Dinesh, President, CII, recommended expanding the Indian bank presence, strengthening healthcare cooperation, enhancing online education and digital partnerships, and prioritising green energy collaboration including scaling up lines of credit for green projects and sharing knowledge and R&D outputs to deepen the India-Africa partnership. (ANI)

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